Improved air-spring for railroad-cars



P. G. GARDINER.

Car Spring.

Patented june 1, 1869.

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Letters Patent N 90,657, dated June 1, 1869.

IMPROVED AIR-SPRIN G- FOR RAILROAD-CARS'.

' The Schedulerefen'ed to in these Lettexs Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom 'it ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, PERRY G. GARDINER, of New York, in the county andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Air-Sprin g forOarrages, Railroad-Cars, and various other purposes; and I do herebydeclare' that the following is afull and exact description ofthe same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters ofreference marked thereon.

'Ihe nature of my invention consists- First, in the peculiarconstruction of a rubber cylinder, and in the combination therewith oftop and bottom' plates, a cock for the admission of air, an encirclingspring or band, and rods which connect said A upper and lower platestogether and serve as guides. `Secondly, my invention consists incombining, with a rubber cylinder of peculiar construction, top audbottom plates, and an encircling spring or band, as above referred to,an inner cylinder, also of rubber.

And, further, in the combination, with an Indiarubber or elastic chamberor cylinder, vconstructed as above described, and filled with compressedair, a numherof spiral steel springs, or a cylindrical India-rubberspring, arranged in the interior of the chamber, for the purpose ofincreasing the strength of the spring, all as hereinafter more fullydescribed. v

In the accompanying drawings, different arrangements and combinations ofmy-improved air-spring are represented in plan and section, which willbe referred to more particularly in the general description.

Similar letters represent similar parts in all the figures.

A represents an India-rubber cylindrical chamber,

-closed at the top, and provided with an external anch,

c, around its bottom.

This India-rubber chamber is securely fastened t0 thebottom orsole-plate B by means of suitable bolts, b, passing through thesole-plate B and ilanch a on the chamber, as well as through a metalring, c, by

which latter ring the India-rubber llanch a is strengthened.

Suitable lips or projections c c are made on the soleplate B,between-which the lauch a lits.

On the top A of the India-rubber chamber A, a metal plate, D, is placed,and fastened in its proper position by means of bolts, b', in such amanner as to allow to said plate D a free motion downward.

In the sole-plate B, a passage, d, is made, provided with a cock, h,through which the atmospheric air is forced into and confined in theinterior of the chamber A at any desired pressure.

Around the outside of the India-rubber cylinder A, a `spiral spring, m,is placed, to prevent the internal pressure of the atmospheric airbulging out the sides of the chamber. Y

`This arrangement of' an air-spring, which is represented in Figure I insection and plan, is particularly` well adapted for light wagons andcarriages, calculated for a light and fixed load.

The cylinder A being illed with air of the desired pressure, thesole-plate B is fitted upon the wheeltruck, with the projecting passaged and its valve or cock h let into the wood or metal forming the truck,

to prevent the cock h from being interferedl with, and

the body of the carriage is made to rest upon the top gf the chamber,or, if a metal plate, D, is used, which I prefer, it rests upon the topof said metal plate D.

The India-rubber chamber may be made of any desirable shape, and may bemade so that the bottom shall form a part of the same, provided with asuitable opening, closd by a metal `or India-rubber valve, and filledwith compressed air, but I prefer making the bottom of metal, andarrange the same as above de-A scribed.

For heavier loads, or for railroad-cars, I arrange, in the inside of thecylinder or chamber A, a vcylindrical India-rubber spring, E, (seeFigure 11,) fitting between or around suitable projections, n, fast tothe sole-plate B, and provided with a metal plate, p, resting on itstop, and bearing against the under side of the topA of the chamber A.

This'India-rubber spring E may be made solid, but Iprefer to make thesame hollow, as represented in Fig. II, in section and plan, andprovided with a number of holes or perforations, s, in its sides, toequalize the pressure of the atmospheric air forced into the chamberaround its inner and outer surfaces.

Instead of placing an India-rubber spring in' the iuterior of thechamber A, as here described, two or more -may be arranged in the same,or one, three, or n iore spiral steel springs, J, as represented inFigure` III, in section and plan, may be arranged in the interior ofsaid chamber.

These springs J are placed around projecting pins or bolts zo, fast tothe sole-plate B, and carry on their top a metal plate, x, provided withbolts or pins, n,

similar and corresponding with .the bolts or pins w ou the sole-plate B.

This plate a: acts against the under side of the solid top A of theelastic chamber A. y

The pinsor bolts u and w may be `made of such a length as to regulateand determine the amountyof motion to be allowed to the cylinder A, andto touch each other, or allow the spring to bottom, whenever` any excessot' pressure i`s placed uponthe same.

The length of the India-rubber spring E, or of the Y,

spiral steel springs J, may be made somewhat less than the internaldepth of the elastic cylinder A, so as to allow the internal atmosphericpressure,forced into the cylinder, to operate in the beginn-ing alone,until the load'increases, when the combined strength of the India-rubberspring E, or ofthe spiral steel springs J, and of the compressed air,will act and operate to overcome and counteract the external load.

The elastic chamber A maybe made suiiiciently strong to dispense withthe metal top plate D and with the external spiral spring en, or eitherof them, and to act thus only with the compressed air, or in combinationwith either an internal Indiafrubber spring or spiral steel springs.

Insteadof arranging either an India-rubber spring or springs, or spiralsteel springs, in the interior of the chamber, an Indiafrnbber spring,surrounded by spiral steel springs, may be arranged inside theIndia-rubber or elastic chamber.

A band may be substituted for the spiral spring m,

' as its only use is to confine the India-rubber cylinder,

and prevent it from expanding unequallywhen under pressure, and not togive any strength as a spring. I t has been found in practice that aband is all that is required; therefore, I do, not limit my claim simplyto the encircling spring. v

I do not claim broadly a spring encircling a rubber cylinder in which acolumn of air is confined, as I am aware that this is not new; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secu're by Letters Patent,is4

1. The rubber cylinder A, having a closed end, A, and flange, a, wherebyit is secured to the plate B, having a cock, Z h, said'cylinder A beingencircled by a spring, m, and covered by a plate, D, connected with thelower plate by rods b', which serve as guides, all substantially asherein shown and described.

2. The combination of the outer cylinder A A' a, inner cylinder E,plates B D p, and spring m, all constructed and arranged substantially'as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combinat'on of the cylinder A A' a, plates B, vw, as, u,supporting-springs J, and spring m, all substantially as hereindescribed, for the purpose specified.

PERRY G. GARDINER.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. Rennen, Louis STUMM.

